LG taking pre-orders for curved OLED TV sets in South Korea

LG announced it has begun accepting pre-orders in South Korea for a new 55-inch… (LG )

LG on Monday began taking pre-orders for a 55-inch curved OLED TV. The new display, which looks like a flat-screen TV but with a subtle, inward curve, is available for purchase by South Korean customers for $13,500. It will arrive for customers next month.

OLED technology is supposed to provide a more vivid image as well as allow manufacturers to build even thinner TVs. OLED also makes it possible for manufacturers to build curved screens. LG and others in the industry say the advantage of a curved OLED display is that it makes the experience of watching something much more immersive and similar to watching an IMAX movie.

The TV set was on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. LG isn't the only company working on a curved OLED TV (so is Samsung), but its TV will be the first made available to consumers.

Earlier this year, LG also began selling the first consumer big-screen OLED TV, which retails for $10,000, and recently the company vowed to begin selling a smartphone with a flexible OLED display before the end of 2013.

But if you live in the U.S. and want to get one of these curved OLED TVs, you'll have to wait. LG said it will announce availability information for markets outside of South Korea in the coming months.